Brasserie Les Saveurs @ The St. Regis Singapore (Part 2)

Other than champagne, there is also free flow of fresh fruit juices such as Orange Juice.




Large varieties of bread and cheese. But diners will always steer away from carbo to get their money's worth in a buffet.



Really like this Focaccia bread with ham and cheese. Not many people tried this, but am glad I had a few pieces of these wonderful gems.



And of course, lot's and lot's of cured meat and hams.



The ham and meat station.



Vodka drinks were also served mixed with various other drinks and flavours.



After all these appetizers, we finally signalled the service staff to bring us our mains. Here is the Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks. Both mains served with seasonal baby vegetables fricassee and fresh herbs. Soft and tender, proof that it was braised for many hours.



I also like my Roasted Welsh lamb rack, and it was cooked medium rare as requested. Tender and juicy.



The dessert buffet table looks much smaller than other buffet restaurants. But most of the dessert items were of high quality.



The chocolate deserts are highly recommended by me.



And this Rasberry dessert too.



Plus the Creme Brulee which was a hit among diners. Almost all were wiped off by hungry diners.



The most attractive dessert was from the mobile cooking station which moved from tables to tables.



Here, the manager prepared Strawberries in Liqueur over chocolate tart. It was both a feast for the nose and also the eyes, as big fire flames appears whenever the manager poured in liqueur over the strawberries over the cooking pan.



It looks good, but actually the taste was pretty average.



A four men band played light jazz thoughout the brunch, and we had a wonderful time here.



Brasserie Les Saveurs
29 Tanglin Road
The St. Regis Singapore

Salted egg yolk ice cream & more @ Tom's Palette

 Most will conjure of glorious images of salted caramel in their minds when sweet-salty flavor pairings are mentioned. Salted egg yolk in mooncakes and even macarons are some other such combinations I’ve tried. But salted egg yolk ice cream is something that I've never heard of, at least until lately.

And where else but Tom’s Palette could we expect to find such a novel concoction? While this flavour may not suit everyone’s tastebuds, I personally felt that the salted egg yolk was pretty well-incorporated into the ice cream, making for a cheesy and intriguing taste experience.

 Sarsi Float and Salted Egg Yolk

It’s a pity that there aren’t any A&W outlets in Singapore anymore, but why not try the Sarsi float ice cream at Tom’s instead? Fizzy yet creamy, this refreshing flavour was like an ice cream float in reverse. I'd have Sarsi float ice cream over the actual drink anytime!

There's been an explosion of ice cream parlors in town, and while the flavors they offer may be just as numerous and well-executed, the key reason why I've been going back to Tom's Palette is because few manage to hit the spot in terms of texture like they do. Quality ingredients  are key to good ice cream (read: NO addition of stabilizers), and at $2.80/$3.60/$4.50 for a small/medium/large cup, you get a really good deal for the price you pay. Go on and be envious (as if it actually helps?!), but I'll readily declare that Tom's Palette is one of the few ice cream outlets in my book which truly deserve a revisit.

 Pistachio and Sabayon

 

I've also sampled Black Sesame, which I found to be too intense for my liking. I’m sure those who like 芝麻糊 will love it though! Fans of the malted milk drink should give Horlicks a try, and the refreshing sabayon- marsala wine ice cream with berries- is bound to please too.

  

Durian and Hazelnut

Tom's Durian ice cream is available only twice a year, in Tom’s anniversary month of September. That's such a pity, 'cos their durian ice cream was really good- I simply had to have more after devoring a medium cup of it! Non-durian fans need not worry about the aroma of the pungent fruit possibly affecting the taste of the other ice cream flavors as the tub of durian ice cream is thoughtfully covered up. Hazelnut is decent too, and really reminded me of Ferrero Rocher!

 

Buttered Pecan and Banana Honey Roasted Nuts

 

Melt 'n' Sizzle and Apple Pie

With a generous amount of roasted pecans embedded in an especially smooth and creamy ice cream, Buttered Pecan and Banana Honey Roasted Nuts will definitely please those who love nuts. Fans of cinammon should go for the Apple Pie, studded with apple chunks and bites of speculoos.

What was, however, more memorable for me was the Melt ‘n’ Sizzle, brown sugar ice cream mixed with berries and chocolate chunks. I had a blast enjoying how the popping candy embedded in the chocolate fizzled away in my mouth- you've got to try it for yourself!

 

Longan red date and Pistachio

I like my cheng tng, so it was no surprise that I loved Tom’s Longan Red Date, a silky cold creation concentrated with the natural goodnesss of dried longans. And their Pistachio ice cream will always remain a perennial favorite of mine, ‘nuff said (:

 You can read about my previous visits to Tom's Palette here, here and here.

Tom's Palette

100 Beach Road

#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery

Brasserie Les Saveurs @ The St. Regis Singapore (Part 1)

We are back at St Regis Brasserie Les Saveurs for a Sunday brunch, after our recent lunch by Chef Hal Yamashita weeks ago.



The brunch here on Sundays is very popular, and reservations are a must to secure a table at the popular champagne brunch.



Our choice of brunch was the Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut Brunch at S$170++ per person with free flow champagne, juices and drinks till 3pm every Sunday. Refreshing and crisp are the words I would use to describe the Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut. Something to drink on a warm Sunday afternoon.



You can either induldge the abundance of appetizers and desserts around the restaurant which includes lot's of fresh oysters......



..... cold appetizers........



.......or, you can also enjoy Chef Frederic Colin's antipasto selections pass around your table throughout the brunch. Service staffs walk around to serve these at your table.



The oysters were average, but the other appetizers were excellent.



Shrimps are crunchy and sweet.



Pan fried fish fillet.



Wasabi mayo prawns with tropical fruits.



Even more appetizers from the buffet station.



They also have chinese appetizers such as this braised brinjal.



Japanese salmon sashimi.



And of course, Foie Gras.

Next up: Main courses and desserts!


Brasserie Les Saveurs
29 Tanglin Road
The St. Regis Singapore

Quan An Ngon @ Hanoi, Vietnam

I always wonder why there isn't any Marche style of restaurants in Singapore selling food in Singapore? Sure there is Food Republic, but the food stalls there is not entirely Singaporean food with other food like Japanese, Korean and even Thunder Tea Rice from China.

And so, the Vietnamese beat us to it. Introducing the Vietnamese version of Marche - Quan An Ngon. It is located near Melia Hotel in Hanoi.



Everyone dines under a huge yellow canopy. and they also have an air-conditioned villa for those who book in advance.

U either order from the waitress using the menu provided (with english translation), or you go around the stalls and pin point what you want. Bring along the paper provided and tell them where your table is. But I would actually recommend ordering from the menu as the chefs at the stalls do not seem to understand English.



This is Lotus Tea, a speciality in Vietnam. At first glance, most would think this is Green Tea. The taste is weird at first sip, but it grows on you. Still, don't really like the taste of it.



BBQ pork with rice. When I saw the guy BBQing this at the charcal grill, I know I MUST order 1 plate. Meant to be shared among 5 diners, in the end I ate about 75% of it. The pork was juicy and flavourful.



The delicious pork being grilled on charcoal. Hints of ginger, garlic and savoury sauce.



Another stall was selling rice paper rolls, and also roasted quails, which I forgot to order.



I didn't like the rice paper rolls. The rice paper was too tough for my liking.



A forgotten shot of the condiments and sauces for the grilled pork. Each Vietnamese dish comes with a specific sauce. If you order 10 dishes, there will be 10 different sauces on your table.



A photo of how each stall looks like in the Vietnamese Marche. The real stalls along the streets of Hanoi are unfortunately not as clean or attractive as those here. And I doubt my stomach is strong enough to try those along the streets.



This fermented pork roll is roasted over banana leaves. Again, anything fermented in an overseas country really need some getting used with.



Lotus salad with crispy keropok. The salad had this tangy and sweet dressing.



Vietnam's version of Chee Cheong Fun with pork and mushroom fillings, served with their own version of luncheon meat at the side. A weird combination. But the Chee Cheong Fun was good.



I like this crispy pork "Ngoh Hiong". Taste almost like our Ngoh Hiong.



Ended our meal with a familiar dessert. In almost all the ASEAN countries I have been, be in Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and now Vietnam, they have their own version of Chendol or Ice-Kachang. And this is Vietnam's version of Chendol.



Unfortunately, the coconut milk is not as fragrant or sweet (maybe due to lack of coconut syrup) as other southeast asia versions of this familiar dessert.



This is a MUST VISIT for all new and old visitors to Vietnam. And we were surprised to see that most of the diners are actually the Vietnamese people, so the food here should be just as authentic as those served along the roadside or restaurants.


Quan An Ngon
18 Phan Boi Chau,
Hoàn Kiếm,
Hanoi, Vietnam